I Have Returned

Jambo everyone. I know it has been weeks, but let me tell you, I'm surprised I was able to keep up as long as I did. This coming post will be broken into a couple different ones since I have so much catching up to do.

So after my last post, my life was consumed with post-College Program decisions. I first found a place to live, with pictures of said place coming soon. It's about 1.5 miles from I was just living and literally across the street from Vista Way, one of the housing complexes and also the oldest. Pros on this place: 15 minutes away from work and I-4, 24-gym, reasonably priced (I pay $300 for the smallest bedroom, before utilities), and 20 minutes from the parks. Cons: 100% unfurnished and it's on the 3rd floor. Okay, so that second reason isn't a biggie, but the first one surely is. I walked in and I was like, I'm paying for what? First on the list was a mattress, and as RSK says, box springs are one of the biggest scams around. However, I was able to buy a full mattress with box spring and frame for about $247. So not too bad, and that thing had better last me 3-4 years. I made the mistake of laying on the more expensive mattresses...poor choice. Natural memory form mattress, I'll be seeing you soon...

After the apt. but before the mattress, I needed a vehicle. It was around the 20th of December that I started sweating. You see, I only had about $2500 to spend on a car, because I knew that there is A TON of nonsense you have to get that goes with the car. So after about a month of dealing with some pretty sketchy people, my parents basically forced me to borrow money from them, a no interest-loan (sweeeet) and suddenly, everyone seemed more reputable. I found a 2005 Hyundai Elantra (burgandy) for $5500. I'm pretty pleased with the decision, even if it I did buy it Dec. 23rd.

Like I said pictures to come!

Visit from the Uncle

A couple weeks ago my Uncle came to visit. My Uncle Joe, more specifically, along with his nephew Russel, whom I've known for years but haven't seen for just as many. Neither had taken a vacation very recently, with my Uncle working his ass off at his new position for the last 2ish years and Russel basically supporting himself at the age of 21. I didn't get to hang with them the whole time they were here, but I did get to hang with them for a decent amount of time.

I believe it was Friday where we went to Hollywood Studios for dinner at Hollywood & Vine (I missed Germany the night before! Shame on me). We were actually able to catch Fantasmic beforehand, which was clutch since I believe that's the best night show. Even though I saw Illuminations for like the 4th time here the other night, and it's really starting to grow on me. They also had some extra holiday fireworks after and they were real epic. Like, my face melted off. Anyway, Hollywood & Vine was a buffet and it was pretty good. Standard American fare.

I was able to give away a shift and hang out with them all of Sunday. We did Hollywood Studios all day. My Uncle had been there a couple times and Russel never, but neither one had ever seen any of the shows at the Studios. We saw both Indiana Jones and the car stunt show (no Beauty and the Beast; Russel said it would make him too emotional). I believe we managed to do everything except for Tower and Rock'n Rollercoaster. My Uncle isn't a fan of inside coasters and Russel doesn't like big drops. Oh well, no one's perfect.

Dinner that night was amazing though. We went to Shula's Steakhouse (restaurant of the great NFL coach Don Shula) and let me tell you, I don't think I've ever had a dining experience like that one. They start by rolling out the steaks on a cart so you can learn a little about each one and make an educated decisions. We all The Cowboy, a type of T-bone I believe, a couple sides, a cocktail, and dessert. It was, in a word, exquisite. Maybe one day I'll make enough money to pay for a meal like that.

Herro all. It's been a couple days and I've been up to some stuff, believe it or not.

First things first, I got a professional internship! I applied for it on a whim per an email that I received from a meet and greet contact. I think I actually applied for it the day before the deadline. There were some marketing internships available, but most were in sales, which I'm going to try to avoid as much as possible. This internship is in youth events, so all my work will center around two events: the Disney Youth Jazz Festival and Festival Disney. The first takes place over one weekend, towards the end of February I believe, and is open to high school and middle school jazz bands, choirs, and combos. Festival Disney happens over nine weekends, from March to May, skipping Easter weekend. It's open to all performing groups, not just bands...I think.

There is a bit of sales involved, when times are slow, but most will be coordinating and troubleshooting, leading around groups, and presenting awards at the end. They'll perform at Saratoga Springs , Hollywood Studios, or a couple other places. Awards will usually be given out at Indiana Jones amphitheater, but if there are that many groups, it will take place at Lights! Motor! Action! arena, which can hold something like 5,000 people. I guess they can get that big. I'm SO excited. It will last from Jan. 14th to June 2nd and will pay a lot more, $11.15/hour, aka, there's a chance of overtime. Nice. Since my college program ends Jan. 2nd, I think I'm gonna make an appearance at home!

I think it's good that I'm going to be able to move on in just a couple months. I can already feel myself falling into some sort of a rut with safari. However, it could be because I know I will be moving on soon to another project, because don't get me wrong, I LOVE where I ended up and always thank my lucky stars when I go into parks and watch other CPs slave away at incredibly thankless jobs. I just can see myself getting a little bored somewhere down the line.

I've also started looking for apartments...again. But I pretty much know who I'm going to live with: another safari guy with the same internship and his current roommate. Should be pretty sweet and real cheap too, surprisingly. They found a 3-bedroom for $280 + utilities. I am pretty sure it's in the heart of the ghetto, but they assure me it's not. I need to start the car hunt again full force. It's gonna be rough to part with that much money, but it's gotta be done.

After my parents left, it was time to focus on Halloween. A few days before my parents came, a bunch of us went to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It's a huge celebration that takes place like 18 different nights between the end of September and Halloween. There's a completely different parade, trick-or-treating throughout the entire park, characters decked out in costume, and EPIC fireworks. It was so much. A bunch of us went as Peter Pan characters, with me going as Michael Darling, brother of Wendy. Yes, that is a woman's nighty. It was a challenge to find one not overwhelmingly gay. Who would have foreseen that as a problem?

I also went to another Halloween party, and for this one, I was Marty McFly. Most people got it, so that was good. I was considering Duffman from The Simpsons, but that would have been a) more involved and b) not sure how many people would have gotten it. But still, being Marty in the Florida warmth = poor choice. I guess I'm used to it being cold on Halloween. Silly me.

The other part of my life that is hectic is making sure I have some good contacts going on before the end of my program. It is ALL about networking 'round these parts. Luckily, it's very easy to do. We have fantastic management at Safaris who are so willing to help anyone that is wanting and deserving. I've spoken with at least two managers, and the most recent meeting was with Kevin. He told me that he sees a great cast member who comes to work everyday, does a good job, and then goes home. He told me I need to start going that extra mile and that he needs more Eric in his face. I told him I'm honestly afraid of stepping on toes around here and he told me not to be. If I get like that, he'll tell me to calm down, since he's already relayed that message to some cast members and they haven't taken the hint. Unfortunately, we all know who he's talking about.

I also had a meet and greet with Tami, someone who works with Magic Music Days. However, that program is getting a name change. To appeal to a more broad spectrum than just bands, like dancers, it will now be called Disney Performing Arts. The name change also brings more credibility to the program. Unfortunately, it's challenging to get into that position, but after my discussion with her, it sounds like the role of Production Assistant would be great for me. I would assist Production Managers with the day-to-day activities of a live show, like Indiana Jones or Lights! Motor! Action! Stunt Show. She gave me all the info on how to get into that.

In my marketing class, we met with an individual who does handles all the special events that Disney does, like Not-So-Scary, Very Merry Christmas, Food and Wine, etc. Her job sounds AWESOME. It's even harder to get into that select group, but most of them have come from Guest Relations. Guest Relations puts you through a lot of situations where anything can occur. They want someone who can really think on their toes. So maybe that's the role for me...

Oh! And I got to ride Rock'n Roller Coaster with the lights on. That was, if anything, more intense than with the lights off. The housing structure is surprisingly small. We got a backstage tour on everything there as well as at Tower of Terror. We didn't get to ride TOT with the lights on, but I think that's better for me since it's my favorite ride and the magic remains preserved.

That basically brings you up to speed. I just had an interview for the Youth Events Professional Internship which would have me directly working with the Disney Jazz Festival and Festival Disney, also a music festival. I think I would be perfect for this internship, plus it pays waaaay better than safaris. Like twice better ($13/hour). Miss everyone!

Good news: I'm still alive

Remember how I said no time? So true. This is really the first opportunity I've had to write since...well, in awhile.

My parents came last week and that was fun...you know, after I found my ID and went back for my main entrance pass. I think I was subconsciously testing their love, just to let them know that I can still do that stuff that would drive them crazy. We went to Epcot the first day to test the waters at the Food and Wine festival which was good because it was very busy. All the local yuppies coming to Disney on the weekend to spend their 'hard' earned money. That night we ate at the Animal Kingdom lodge at Jiko and let me tell, I'm pretty sure that's the best meal I've ever had in my life. SO GOOD.


Next day we all went to Animal Kingdom and rode a couple rides before I clocked in to work. I was only working so they could ride my safari. That was a lot of fun and didn't make me nervous. I've become very comfortable in that job and could really perform well regardless of my passengers. I met them at the Boardwalk later for food and then we went back to Port Orleans - French Quarter to see one of the more interesting performances at a jazz club that I've ever seen. Let's just say that 'Axel F.' was played. On an EWI. Awesome.


Next day we took on Epcot with full force. Did most of Future World in the morning and realized how flippin' lame Journey Into Imagination has now become. Effing Eric Idle! Anyway, we tried A LOT of food during the course of the rest of the day. It was very awesome. Everything was very delicious with the only disliked dish being the Potato and Lentil Crepe. Not that it was bad, it's just that none of us are crazy about Indian food. I'm just glad I finally like food and have gotten away from the bland roots that was my palette.

More to come soon!

No Time!

I really have so little time to do anything. I work at least 40 hours a week, and even worked 52 last week. However, that was some sick overtime and resulted in a $300 paycheck, even after they take out $92 for my rent. Big score there. I picked up a shift to get to that much overtime, but I don't think that's gonna be happening again anytime soon. I always have 2 days off, but now I have 2 classes on one of those days off, back-to-back, from 1-5:30, and I REALLY don't want to work on my other full day off. It's mostly for my sanity and I want to continue enjoying my job. I have a fellow CP working 17 days in a row. What a fool.

My classes seem like they're going to be a lot of fun, though. They're not really classes, more like seminars/lectures. The first is Exploring Marketing at Disney. It's 8 weeks long and each week focuses on different aspects of Disney marketing while bringing in higher ups from within the company to speak. The other class is a bit more personal, for me at least: Exploring Disney Heritage. For 8 weeks, we will basically review everything that one could possible want to know about the history of the company, beginning with Walt and Roy to where the company stands in the present. One of the weeks we get to do a scavenger hunt at Hollywood Studios! I'm really pumped about that. I have the same facilitator for both classes and has been with the company for 17 years, working all types of jobs and is the recipient of the Partners in Excellence award, a very prestigious award, the highest award a Disney cast member can receive. Just another contact in my ever-growing list.

Speaking of contacts, I have another meet and greet setup with a representative from Magic Music Days, more specifically, Performing Arts and Education Programs. However, the meeting is taking place in Celebration, about a 15 minutes drive. I have absolutely no idea how I'm gonna get there, but I have a few ideas. I really don't want to cancel. On another note, I've been searching cars here and there, starting as just a small fantasy, but it's becoming more of a need everyday.

A quick thought I had the other day: I feel like people listen to music in 2 different ways, at least initially. An individual listens first either for the words or the music. Both have the ability to evoke a flurry of emotions. I've always found myself to be a music person, or how the music makes me feel on a purely 'noise' level. I've been trying to add to that by really listening to those words, looking them up and deciphering meanings if needed (the internet is awesome). Some of the time, it completely transforms the song for me. Just a thought. Miss everyone. My parents will be here in 6 days! And I saw giraffes running! Amazing.

Boy I Need a Car

I'll tell you what...yes, I need a car. I thought I wasn't going to really have a problem getting around while I'm down here, but boy, not having a car reeeeally blows. As you know, we have a bus system, but then you end up spending most of your day commuting. For instance, I went to the Polynesian with a friend the other day because they show movies outside at the different resorts. I saw Bolt at Fort Wilderness and it was really fun. It's like a 20 ft. screen and they have a small fire going to toast marshmallows...fo free! Well, the supplies aren't, but at least the fire be there. Anyway, the times for the movie on the website were different then when we got to the resort. We thought it started at 9 but it was actually 8. This turned out to not really be a problem, mostly because they were showing 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'. No thanks. Neither of us were very upset about missing it.

Up to this point, I've been getting around without a car. I go grocery shopping less frequently and I don't mind. I also haven't had to take the bus to work more than a handful of times. The worst part is that you're just so restricted to what the person with the car wants to do. But if I'm going to stay here, I gots to get me a car, no question. Weird thing is, a couple weeks ago, I went apartment hunting. Seriously, what the eff. I've found a couple prospects for roommates, so I'm not worried about that. And the cost of living down here isn't terrible, despite the affluence that is Orlando. Of the couple places we looked, it was between $400-450 for everything. I'll pick up shifts from time to time and HATE it. However, I gotta be a semi-responsible adult and start saving.

In reality, the only thing I really want to spend money on is good food. The older I get, the more I appreciate good food. And down here, there are a ton of good places to eat. We get a 20% discount on table service anywhere on the property.

I'm just gonna post this since it's been sitting here for 2 days now. Things are CRAZY busy.